1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an article of submunition which is harnessed as a rotating load through the intermediary of a connecting device to the shroud lines of a parachute.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
A system of that type has become known from the disclosure of German Laid-Open Patent Appln. 23 53 566, and is employed or the deployment of submunition equipped with search heads and which rotatingly descend into a target area. This submunition is set into a rotational movement through the onflow of air produced by guide surfaces relative to the practically punctiform of the parachute shroud lines. In order to prevent the shroud lines from turning or twisting in (and thereby to cause the parachute to pull together such that it looses its braking effect and thereby brings the submunition into a steep dive), a swivel plate is arranged intermediate the shroud lines and the load. However, in actual practice, a rotational movement which is free of torque is unattainable because of the presence of unavoidable influences of friction; inasmuch as the system dimensions allow for the utilization of only a limited swivel plate diameter size, and especially after lengthier storage periods, the coefficients of friction of such a coupling become less satisfactory. Consequently, it is unavoidable that a torque will be transmitted from the rotating load to the conveyance for the shroud lines, so that these will be twisted in relative to the rotation-supportive canopy of the parachute.
In order to be able to eliminate a swivel plate construction, for parachute-load connection of the type considered herein, it is already known to provide intermediate the practically punctiform convergence or juncture of the parachute shroud lines and the actual load a lengthy connecting belt as a spin-decoupling line. A spin line of that kind is twisted prior to the deployment of the system opposite the subsequent direction of rotation for the load whereby, after the release of the rotational movement of the load relative to the braking parachute, initially this belt spin can be attenuated without transmitting of torque into the connection for the shroud lines. It depends upon the length of this belt as to how much spin encountered in the direction of rotation of the load it can thereafter still assume prior to this leading to a noticeable torque loading in the connection for the shroud lines. A lengthy spin line is; however, undersirable due to technological and kinematic reasons associated with the system, inasmuch as it would increase the period of time and the extending and unfolding of the braking parachute subsequent to the release thereof from its packing, so that the load which has been ejected from the spin stabilized deploying carrier at a high altitude would carry out an undesirably lengthy falling motion. The result would be the encountering of a correspondingly higher shock load when the braking parachute finally opens itself. On the other hand, an excessively short spin line does not permit for the implementation of a sufficiently large number of turns up to the build up of that kind of torsional moment or torque, which can lead to the twisting or turning in of the shroud lines and, resultingly, to the steep dropping or dive of the system. Hereby, consideration must also be given to the aspect that with a reducing parachute strength; in effect, at a reducing sinking speed, that the counter-torque which is obtained through the articulation with the shroud lines (hereinafter referred to as shroud lines-torque), will reduce itself, as a consequence of which there is an increase in the danger of the twisting or turning in of the shroud lines due to the torsional moment or torque which is exerted by the spin line. When, there is then additionally separated the load; for instance, in the sense that a parachute cassette together with the braking parachute is blown off from the submunition, and thereby a rotational parachute has been freed on the submunition, this represents a sudden-like additional reduction in the strength of the braking parachute. The turning in of the parachute shroud lines then has, as a consequence, a greater sinking speed of the blown off load constituent, so that this can drop backwards into the rotational parachute for the submunition, and can thereby set the system out of function.